In the case of knitting with a flat knitting machine, the following steps are usually taken at the beginning of knitting. A knitting yarn is fed into a knitting region by a yarn feeder for guiding the knitting yarn to knitting needles on a needle bed in such a state that a yarn end of the knitting yarn is held by a yarn end holder arranged outside the knitting region in a lateral direction of the needle bed on the top face of which a plurality of knitting needles are implanted. Subsequently a suitable quantity of courses are knitted. Thereafter the yarn end held by the yarn end holder is released and pulled down with the knitted fabric in such a state that the yarn end is associated with the initial portion of the knitted fabric. In the fabric knitted in such manner, a portion of the knitting yarn which exists from the yarn end held by the yarn end holder to the position actually fed to the knitting needles is not knitted into the knitted fabric, and becomes a yarn end portion exposed outside the knitted fabric along the initial portion.
In the case of knitting an attachment piece to be sewn together with a piece such as a collar or front body for the purpose of reinforcement, the attachment pieces are usually knitted by continuous knitting. The continuous knitting means continuously knitting such attachment pieces having a predetermined length one by one without cutting the knitting yarn in a state that the respective attachment pieces are connected with one another via a draw yarn. When such continuous knitting is conducted, a yarn is left among the knitted attachment pieces at an interval of a course knitted by the draw yarn. After knitting the attachment pieces is completed, the draw yarn connecting the attachment pieces is cut and removed, and the yarn among the knitted attachment pieces is cut in order to separate the respective knitted attachment pieces from one another. As a result, the cut yarn remains at the initial portion of each attachment piece and exposed itself outside the knitted attachment piece.
In order to treat the yarn end remaining at the initial portion of these knitted fabrics, the yarn end is conventionally pulled into the initial portion of each knitted fabric using a crochet needle after the completion of knitting with a knitting machine.
In such a conventional manner, it is necessary to insert the crochet needle into the knitted fabric in order to pull the yarn end into the knitted fabric. However, it is hard to insert the crochet needle into tight loops of stitches, and when the crochet needle is forcibly inserted into the loops of the knitted fabric, the loops become loose, which damages the commercial value of the knitted fabric.
Besides, technical skill is required to conduct the operations of the manner with a crochet needle. For example, operations carried out by those unskilled in the manner might cause fraying of a yarn end. Thus, such treatment manner of the yarn end with a crochet needle is not an effective and successful treatment which can be achieved regardless of the level of operator's skill.